Campaign Diary
Viktor Mák
Co-Founder and Co-Director of the European Center for Digital Action, Viktor has his roots in student and grassroots activism in Hungary. He helps progressive organizations use digital tools to empower citizens and contribute to social change.
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Three months in Swing State USA
Campaigns don’t always end in victory. Most people reading this magazine will have experienced the pain of defeat before now. I have – but this one is a bitter, bitter pill to swallow. I can’t stop remembering the surge of excitement we all felt when Kamala Harris rose to the top of the ticket.
I’m writing this less than a week after the election, and it’s still difficult to think about the people I met and worked with during the campaign – to think about how quickly and completely so much hope was crushed. America voted against a candidate who is honest, competent, and dedicated – a candidate whose election would have represented a genuine step forwards into a more promising future. Instead, the United States heads into an uncertain and chaotic four-year term under Donald Trump.
Among progressives, a period of intensive analysis, debriefing, and strategic overhaul has begun. Of course, the Harris campaign made mistakes – and of course, we must identify and learn from them. We will emerge from this stronger. Right now, however, I would prefer to share moments from the campaign which inspired hope, as well as some of the foundational campaign tactics we deployed. I hope campaigns across Europe can incorporate some or all of these tried and tested tactics into their own campaigns.
From Viktor’s campaign diary
On 10 July, Viktor Mák took a leave of absence from ECDA to take on the role of Regional Digital Director in Battleground States for the Harris Campaign. He is now back in his position as Co-Director of ECDA.
August 1
The campaign is massive – there must be tens of thousands of paid professionals working on this race. Yet here in Wilmington, the actual HQ is swallowed up on four floors of a corporate skyscraper. Press the wrong button in the elevator and I end up at Citibank! It’s an odd feeling – being surrounded all day by people who hardly think about politics (and probably vote Republican).
$200m in donations have come in since Kamala was announced, and 100,000 new volunteers. The money we can spend, but what do you do with 100,000 supporters who need structure, training, and motivation? I understand more than ever why people say that running a campaign is like trying to build an airplane in midair.
August 23 - after the Democratic National Convention
I have a few main takeaways from the DNC. Joe Biden spoke late on the first night, when most people were already asleep – the party is ready to move on and there’s little he can do to stop it. There was the joy on Hilary Clinton’s face when the crowd started chanting “lock him up” (rephrasing the “lock her up” chants from Trump’s MAGA rallies in 2016). Barack Obama’s joke about how obsessed Trump is with the size of his… crowds. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz were flawless, delivering the message we needed. But the real highlight for me was AOC’s (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) speech. Whatever happens in the election, the Democrats need to make sure she plays a key role in forging the path ahead.
September 10 - the Harris-Trump debate
Harris and Trump are due to begin their first (and only?) debate in a few hours’ time. We’re set to watch it at the Wilmington HQ, monitoring social media, clipping the debate and amplifying the best moments on our socials.
Trump has less to lose – voters already have a strong sense of who he is. Harris is less well-known and polls show that people are curious. The debate will be a fight to define her. Will Trump manage to portray her as an out-of-touch member of the elite? Or will she establish herself in people’s minds as the daughter of immigrants who fights for the middle class and personal freedoms?
The debate venue is intimate, meaning the two candidates – who have never met – will be physically close. Kamala’s team is hoping that Trump’s disdain for anyone who isn’t white, rich and male will be on full display, making him come across as a bully – mean-spirited and small.
September 12 - the following day
Last night, Kamala earned the nomination in my eyes. Trump didn’t dare look at her during the whole debate. It was nice to see him shrink in the presence of Kamala. I hope there will be a second one.
His comments about immigrants ‘eating the cats, eating the dogs’ went viral. Despite the absurd phrasing, the message he sent was clear – there are people out there who aren’t like us, who can’t be trusted with the things we care about – and I will protect you from them.
October 14 - Deployed to Las Vegas, Nevada
In U.S. campaigns, it’s standard practice to deploy staff to states around the country in the final weeks to help fill gaps. Yesterday, I was still in the skyscraper – large meetings, debates about new ideas and projects, budget discussions, trying to fuel the machine we’ve built with more volunteers, more emails, more influencer engagement, and more media appearances. Today, I knocked on doors, made phone calls, and staffed a surrogate event. It’s a completely different world – and physically exhausting after so many weeks in an office!
November 5 - Election Day
Staff reported to field offices at 6:30am this morning, before spending the day calling on low-propensity voters – folks our model had predicted wouldn’t turn out otherwise. It was a nice way to spend the day, walking in different neighborhoods, in the sun, talking to voters.
I spent election night at a union hall. A day that had begun in bright sunshine ended in darkness. Of course the Republican concerns around the integrity of the election dried up as soon as Trump’s lead began to solidify. The youngest organizers were the most wrecked. They had poured so much of their physical and emotional energy into the campaign. Some didn’t even remember 2016 and were too young to vote in 2020. The senior staff tried harder to hide their emotions. Everyone was devastated.
The Harris campaign. ten things that worked
While the anti-incumbent atmosphere and a historically short campaign did not set Kamala Harris up for success, there is still much that campaigners around the world can learn from her tactics. Here are ten worth noting:
1. Mega Zoom calls
The tension that built up before President Biden stepped down rapidly transformed into excitement when Kamala Harris took over the ticket. The campaign captured this momentum by hosting large Zoom calls with new groups like ‘Women for Kamala’, ‘Black Men for Kamala’ and ‘White Dudes for Kamala’. These Mega Zoom calls functioned like telefundraisers, drew hundreds of thousands of participants and raised millions of dollars.
2. Rapid response social media
Social media requires rapid responses. The Harris campaign got rid of long approval chains so that content could go live within 15 minutes. The team had creative freedom and produced content which had never been seen from a Presidential campaign before – dolphins jumping over rainbows, Donald Trump talking over a Mario Kart race. It fed the algorithms and gave supporters content they wanted to see.
3. Influencer engagement
The campaign trusted influencers to repackage their campaign messages and provided them with the talking points, graphic assets, and VIP access they needed to produce great, independent content for their communities. Influencers helped the campaign reach voters who weren’t consuming political news.
4. Alternative media outreach
The campaign tapped into alternative media, including popular podcasts and YouTube channels. Kamala Harris’s appearances on shows like Call Her Daddy played a significant role in reaching audiences who may have tuned out mainstream news. These are new formats, requiring a different approach from traditional media, but the effort is worth the results.
5. Postcard writing initiatives
Postcards may not significantly impact undecided voters, but postcard-writing sessions created strong relationships and community among early-stage activists and volunteers. Volunteers are the fuel for your campaign; invest in them and help them build community.
6. Canvass launch events
Before sending canvassers into neighborhoods, field offices held launch events that featured script training, campaign updates, and appearances by elected officials or celebrities. The launches created a team spirit among volunteers, reinforcing their connection and commitment to the campaign.
7. Reproductive Freedom Bus Tour
The scarcest resource on a campaign is the candidate's time. Sub-campaigns on key issues – like the Reproductive Freedom Bus Tour – drew media attention and rallied supporters. They are a campaign within a campaign, spotlighting issues that motivate our voters.
8. Debate watch parties
The campaign organized thousands of watch parties across the country for the Harris-Trump and Walz-Vance debates. Supporters could sign up to host gatherings, helping to foster a sense of community – and identify super-supporters.
9. Fundraising efforts
The Harris campaign asked for money often and directly – giving time-pressed supporters an opportunity to help make a difference. Without fundraising, the campaign couldn’t have run such a large and professional operation, and millions of donors would have missed out on the chance to participate.
10. Disinformation monitoring and pre-bunking
The campaign used ‘pre-bunking’ tactics to counteract disinformation and project the Vice President as actively managing crises and aiding affected communities. Without pre-bunking, false narratives around events like Hurricane Milton would have spread further and faster.